Related Manuals for Microsemi Adaptec ASR-8805
Summarization of Contents
Regulatory Compliance Statements
Federal Communications Commission Radio Frequency Interference Statement
FCC statement on radio frequency interference for digital devices.
UL Compliance Statement
Statement regarding UL listing and compliance for Microsemi Adaptec products.
European Union Compliance Statement
EU compliance for Information Technology Equipment based on EMC Directive.
Australian/New Zealand Compliance Statement
Compliance statement for Class B digital device per AS/NZS 3548 standard.
Canadian Compliance Statement
Compliance with Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.
Japanese Compliance (Voluntary Control Council Initiative)
Compliance with VCCI for Class B IT equipment, for home use.
Korean Compliance (KCC) Statement
KCC certification details for Microsemi Adaptec products.
Class B Equipment (Korean and English)
Statement for Class B equipment intended for home use.
About This Guide
What You Need to Know Before You Begin
Prerequisites for installing the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller and understanding the guide.
Terminology Used in this Guide
Definitions of key terms used in the manual, like controller, disk drive, array.
How to Find More Information
Resources for additional information and documentation.
Kit Contents and System Requirements
Kit Contents
List of items included in the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller kit.
System Requirements
Hardware and software requirements for installing the RAID controller.
About Your RAID Controller
Standard RAID Controller Features
Overview of common features like SAS/SATA support, firmware updates, and utilities.
Array-level Features
Features related to RAID arrays like levels supported, hot spares, and capacity expansion.
Advanced Data Protection Suite
Features like Copyback Hot Spare, RAID 1E, RAID 6, and RAID 60.
Adding a Flash Backup Module
Information on supported flash backup modules for zero maintenance cache protection.
Upgrading the Controller Firmware
Procedures for updating the RAID controller's firmware using utilities.
About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8405
Features and specifications of the RAID 8405 controller model.
About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8405E
Features and specifications of the RAID 8405E controller model.
About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8805
Features and specifications of the RAID 8805 controller model.
About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8805E
Features and specifications of the RAID 8805E controller model.
About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8885/8885Q
Features and specifications of the RAID 8885/8885Q controller models.
About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 81605Z/81605ZQ
Features and specifications of the RAID 81605Z/81605ZQ controller models.
Getting Started
Choosing a RAID Level
Overview of RAID levels supported by the controller and their requirements.
Selecting Disk Drives and Cables
Guidance on choosing compatible disk drives and necessary cables.
Cables
Details on SAS HD cables and recommendations for use.
Replacing the Full-Height Bracket with a Low-Profile Bracket
Instructions for swapping the physical bracket for installation in different computer cases.
Installation Options
Describes two installation methods: bootable array or standard installation.
Basic Installation Steps
Step-by-step guide for installing the controller and drivers.
Installing with an Operating System
Steps to install the OS and driver on a bootable array.
Installing on an Existing Operating System
Steps to install the driver on a pre-installed OS.
Installing the Controller and Disk Drives
Before You Begin
Pre-installation checks and considerations for installing the controller.
Installing the Controller
Detailed instructions for physically installing the RAID controller into the system.
Installing a RAID Controller without Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Procedure for installing controllers without ZMCP.
Installing a RAID Controller with Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Procedure for installing controllers with ZMCP.
Connecting Disk Drives to Your Controllers
How to connect SAS, SATA, and SSD drives to the controller.
Connecting Drives Directly to the Controller
Connecting drives using direct-attach SAS cables.
Connecting Drives to a System Backplane
Connecting drives via a system backplane.
Connecting Solid State Drives (SSDs)
Specific instructions for connecting SSDs, including maxCache.
Connecting External Devices
How to connect external disk drives or enclosures.
Next Steps
Guidance on what to do after controller installation.
Creating a Bootable Array
Setting the Boot Controller
How to configure the system BIOS to boot from the RAID controller.
Creating an Array
Overview of array creation methods and tools.
Creating an Array with the ARC Utility
Steps to create an array using the BIOS-based ARC utility.
Creating an Array with maxView Storage Manager
Steps to create an array using the maxView Storage Manager GUI.
Making Your Array Bootable
Steps to make a created array bootable.
Installing the Driver and an Operating System
Before You Begin
Pre-installation steps for driver and OS installation.
Creating a Driver Disk
How to create a bootable disk for driver installation.
Installing with Windows
Instructions for installing the driver during Windows setup.
Installing with Red Hat Linux or CentOS
Instructions for installing the driver during Red Hat/CentOS setup.
Installing with SuSE Linux Enterprise Server
Instructions for installing the driver during SuSE setup.
Installing with Ubuntu Linux
Instructions for installing the driver during Ubuntu setup.
Installing with VMware
Instructions for installing the driver with VMware ESXi.
Installing with Citrix XenServer
Instructions for installing the driver with Citrix XenServer.
Installing the Driver on an Existing Operating System
Before You Begin
Pre-installation steps for driver installation on an existing OS.
Creating a Driver Disk
How to create a driver disk for installation on an existing OS.
Installing on Windows
Steps to install the driver on an existing Windows OS.
Installing on Red Hat, CentOS, SuSE, or Fedora Linux
Steps to install the driver on existing Linux distributions.
Installing on Ubuntu Linux
Steps to install the driver on an existing Ubuntu OS.
Installing on VMware
Steps to install the driver on an existing VMware ESXi system.
Installing on Citrix XenServer
Steps to install the driver on an existing Citrix XenServer.
Installing Dynamic Kernel Module Support
Installing the DKMS Deb Package on Ubuntu Systems
Steps to install DKMS deb package on Ubuntu for dynamic kernel modules.
Installing the DKMS RPM Package
Steps to install DKMS RPM package for dynamic kernel modules.
DKMS Reference
Reference for DKMS commands related to driver management.
Managing Your Storage Space
About maxView Storage Manager
Introduction to the browser-based storage management application.
Installing maxView Storage Manager
Guidance on installing the maxView Storage Manager software.
About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Controller Configuration Utility
Overview of the ARCCONF command-line utility.
About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility
Introduction to the BIOS-based ARC utility.
About the Adaptec Flash Utility
Description of the text-based DOS utility for firmware management.
Which Utility Should I Use?
Recommendations on choosing between ARC, maxView, and ARCCONF utilities.
Solving Problems
Troubleshooting Checklist
A list of common issues and checks for installation and usage problems.
Monitoring Disk Drives Status
How to monitor disk drive status using utilities and LED indicators.
Silencing the Alarm
Procedure to silence controller alarms using management tools.
Recovering from a Disk Drive Failure
Steps to recover from disk drive failures, with and without hot spares.
Failed Disk Drive Protected by a Hot Spare
Recovery process when a hot spare is present.
Failed Disk Drive Not Protected by a Hot Spare
Recovery process when no hot spare is available.
Failure in Multiple Arrays Simultaneously
Handling failures across multiple arrays.
Disk Drive Failure in a RAID 0 Array
Recovery steps for RAID 0 array disk failure.
Multiple Failures in the Same Array
Handling multiple drive failures within a single array.
Failed SSD in maxCache Device
Recovery for failed SSDs in a maxCache device.
Resetting the Controller
Procedure for resetting or flashing the controller if it becomes inoperable.
Introduction to SAS
Terminology Used in This Appendix
Glossary of SAS-related terms used in the appendix.
What is SAS?
Explanation of SAS technology and its evolution from parallel SCSI.
How Do SAS Devices Communicate?
How SAS devices establish communication links.
What's a Phy?
Definition and role of a physical interface (Phy) in SAS communication.
What's a SAS Port?
Explanation of SAS ports and their virtual concept.
What's a SAS Address?
How SAS addresses identify ports and phys.
What's a SAS Connector?
Physical plugs and receptacles for SAS connections.
What do SAS Cables Look Like?
Description of SAS and mini-SAS cables and connectors.
How are Disk Drives Identified in SAS?
Formats for identifying disk drives in SAS environments.
What are the SAS Connection Options?
Overview of direct-attach, backplane, and expander connections.
Direct-attach Connections
Details on connecting devices directly via SAS cables.
Backplane Connections
Connecting devices through system backplanes.
SAS Expander Connections
How SAS expanders increase device connectivity.
How is SAS Different from Parallel SCSI?
Comparison of SAS and parallel SCSI interfaces.
Understanding RAID
Understanding Drive Segments
Definition of drive segments used in RAID arrays.
Non-redundant Arrays (RAID 0)
Explanation of RAID 0 for performance without redundancy.
RAID 1 Arrays
Explanation of RAID 1 for mirroring and redundancy.
RAID 1 Enhanced Arrays
Explanation of RAID 1E for mirrored and striped data.
RAID 10 Arrays
Explanation of RAID 10 for striped mirrors.
RAID 5 Arrays
Explanation of RAID 5 for striping with parity.
RAID 5EE Arrays
Explanation of RAID 5EE with distributed spare.
RAID 50 Arrays
Explanation of RAID 50 for combining RAID 5 arrays.
RAID 6 Arrays
Explanation of RAID 6 for dual drive failure protection.
RAID 60 Arrays
Explanation of RAID 60 for combining RAID 6 arrays.
Comparing RAID Levels
Table comparing RAID levels based on redundancy, performance, and drive usage.
Using the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility
Introduction to the ARC Utility
Overview of the ARC utility's tools and functions.
Ctrl-A or uEFI/HII?
Explanation of the two interfaces for accessing the ARC utility.
Running the ARC Utility
How to start and access the ARC utility.
Using the ARC Utility to Create and Manage Arrays
Guide to creating and managing RAID arrays using the ARC utility.
Creating a New Array
Steps to create a new RAID array.
Managing Existing Arrays
Options for managing existing arrays like bootable settings and hot spares.
Creating Bootable Arrays
How to make a RAID array bootable.
Modifying Power Management Settings
Adjusting power saving settings for arrays.
Modifying Cache Settings
Configuring read/write cache and maxCache settings for arrays.
Initializing Disk Drives
Steps to initialize disk drives for use in arrays.
Rescanning Disk Drives
Procedure to rescan disk drives.
Secure Erasing Disk Drives
How to securely erase data from disk drives.
Stopping a Secure Erase
How to stop an ongoing secure erase operation.
Uninitializing Disk Drives
Steps to uninitialize drives, clearing metadata and partitions.
Managing Global Hot Spares
How to create and delete global hot spares for array protection.
Using the ARC Utility to Modify Controller Settings
How to access and use the controller settings tool.
Opening the Controller Settings Tool
How to open the controller settings interface.
Applying Changes and Exiting
How to save and exit the controller settings tool.
Modifying Your Controller's Configuration
How to modify controller's basic and advanced settings.
General Controller Settings
Description of various general controller settings like write cache and BIOS support.
Controller Mode
Options for setting the controller mode (RAID, HBA, Auto, Simple Volume).
Max Link Speed (uEFI only)
Setting the maximum SAS connection speed via uEFI.
Power Management Settings
Configuring system power management settings.
Preserving the Controller Cache
Options for cache preservation (UEFI only).
Enabling and Disabling Controller Cache Preservation
How to enable or disable controller cache preservation.
Clearing the Controller Cache
How to clear preserved cache data for logical drives.
Checking the Cache Preservation Status
How to check the controller's cache preservation status.
Checking Backup Unit Status
How to check the status of the flash backup unit.
Formatting and Verifying Disk Drives
Procedures for low-level formatting or verifying disk drives.
Locating Disk Drives
How to use the Identify Drive feature to locate a drive.
Identifying Disk Drives
How to view disk drive details in the utility.
Setting the Drive Write-Cache Policy
How to set drive-specific write-cache policies.
Updating the Controller Firmware
Steps to update the controller firmware (UEFI only).
Updating the Controller CPLD
Steps to update the controller CPLD (UEFI only).
Creating a Support Archive
How to create a support archive for diagnostics (UEFI only).
Viewing the Event Log
How to view the BIOS-based event log.
Using the Adaptec Flash Utility
System Requirements
System requirements for using the Adaptec Flash Utility.
Compatibility Notes
Notes on compatibility with other DOS drivers.
Before You Begin
Prerequisites before using the Adaptec Flash Utility.
Obtaining the Firmware
How to obtain firmware files from the web.
Creating the Firmware Update Disk
Steps to create a bootable disk for firmware updates.
Running the Menu-based AFU
Instructions for running the AFU utility from its menu interface.
Running the AFU from the Command Line
Instructions for running the AFU utility via command line.
AFU Commands
List of available commands for the AFU utility.
List
Command to list supported RAID controllers.
Save
Command to save controller flash contents to a UFI file.
Update
Command to update controller flash from a UFI file.
Verify
Command to verify controller flash against a UFI file.
Version
Command to display flash component version information.
Updating the Flash Using the AFU Command Line
Using command line to update controller flash.
Safety Information
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
Precautions and procedures to prevent damage from electrostatic discharge.
Technical Specifications
Environmental Specifications
Environmental operating conditions for RAID controllers.
DC Power Requirements
DC voltage and ripple/noise requirements for PCIe interface.
Current Requirements
Typical current draw for different RAID controller models.
Supercapacitor Ratings
Specifications for the AFM-700 Supercapacitor Module.
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